Pain Redefined
by rainkira
Summary: And her heart would stop, just with the feel of his eyes on her. DMHG/Dark/Adult Themes/ Fluff/
1. Chapter 1

**_Bodies._**

She ran. The hallway echoed of screams and moans of agonizing pain. She heard her named being yelled out from a distant corridor. She kept running, she knew that voice all to well. She had to get to him in time. Sparks glistened the hallway as teachers and students took aim against their hooded foes. Ducking and crawling through the wreckage, blasting spells at those who got in her way she kept a steady pace towards her screamed name.

**_So many bodies._**

A hand reached for her ankle, causing her to lose her balance and fall to stone floor. Shaking her head to recompose herself, she looked for the source of the hand and turned to face the blackened eyes of Hannah Abbott. Her face was covered in crimson blood. She kept trying to crawl towards her, her legs both missing from an explosion earlier in the battle. "._..why_?" Her once beautiful blue eyes were bloodshot and hardened. She watched the rest of her light fade away and she drifted into her next life. The Hufflepuff never deserved this. None of them did. She looked around at them all again, her arms and legs covered in the blood of her friends and foes. The scream. She was close. She had to keep going. Picking herself back up she managed to get through to the door that held the scream. The door was covered in bloody hand prints.

The source of the scream was just inside, she could make it. She flung the door open.

"HERMIONE!"

She awoke harshly, falling out of her seat. She inhaled drastically, like she had been drowning and just reached air.

"Sweetheart..." Ginny wrapped her arms around her best friend. Hermione was shaking uncontrollably. All eyes were on her in the Gryffindor common room. She had been helping Ginny with her studies and had fallen asleep curled up on the couch near the fire. Sleep came in short supply now-a-days. Her dreams never stopped reliving her past. Sometimes she would make it just in time, and others... It was too late.

Hermione smiled softly, and slowly got up. She reached for her bag, "I'm going back to my dorm, dear. Hopefully you'll be okay with tomorrows test with Muggle Studies?" Ginny smiled sadly at her best friend. Looking her up and down, she had realized how much her friend had taken the war so hard. She was incredibly skinny, even with Ginny force feeding her friend when she had a chance. Hermione's eyes looked dead inside, her once lovely hazel turned into a dark deep brown. Her once radiant skin looked pale and ghastly. Why she had decided to come back to Hogwarts to finish her last year, she would never know. She had plenty of offers around the wizarding world for positions, to which she humbly declined. "I'll be alright. How tough could a ...," She glanced at her notes "a cellphone be?"

Hermione smiled and exited the common room. As she walked the hallways of Hogwarts, bodies entered her mind. People screaming for help, him screaming HER name for help. She stopped, fighting back her tears. She punched the closest wall until her knuckles bloodied. She looked down at her arm, looking at the bone sticking out from the flesh. Her face remained calm, but tear-stained. She couldn't feel the pain of what she had just done to herself. She was numb. She was dead inside.

**_Dead like Hannah Abbott._**

She walked quickly to the Head Girls/Boys dormitory, covering her hand within her cloak. Whispering the password "Unity" to the Lion and Snake she ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

The silvery blonde looked up from his book. He didn't flinch as she had slammed her door, making their entire suite shake.

"_Damn woman_." Draco hissed under his breath.

_  
Well, I'm back. After a very long long long absence. Nearly a decade really. But here I am, ladies and gents. Be sweet and review, make me want to keep coming back. Surprises lie ahead. This is not an instant fluff piece. I'm a firm believer in Draco being a very evil soul. What has the war done to Hermione? Is she still the same the girl? Still full of light, or darker? Only time will tell.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco finished up his chapter in his potions book. The potions class was never the same since his godfather had passed on. Severus Snape was revealed to be a brave and true hero, regardless of his previous undesired status. The new potions teacher was decent in his own right, but could never replace Severus. Draco scoffed to himself, if Snape had ever heard his thoughts he would have been greatly sneered at. He placed his potions book on the coffee table in front of him. A vase held dark red roses on its dark cherry stained wood.

Draco Malfoy was never expected to return to Hogwarts after everything that happened in the war. He would watch first years cower in fear and run away to their classes, trying not to cross him. His fellow Slytherins were few and far between. Half of them had returned, but it greatly deteriorated their numbers. Many had been afraid to return, but Draco was not them. His father was subject to house arrest at Malfoy Manner while the ministry gathered all the evidence against him. Needless to say, Hogwarts was a safer and less stressful place than home. That filthy bastard would hit his mother and she would just stay silent and still. Subjecting herself to the beating that would take place, each and every time. His father was a coward for beating a woman and his mother was a coward that refused to leave her station. Although rumors of his family were extensive to say the least, none knew the truth, and he'd prefer to keep it that way.

A loud bang came from the head girl's room. Draco stood up abruptly and steadily walked to her door, his face showed a certain animosity. Every night for the last few weeks since the start of the year, he'd heard that damn noise. He had not once said a thing. _The mudblood's business is her own, but that fucking bitch needs to stop._

"GRANGER!" He banged on the door loudly. He heard some commotion come from the interior. "GRANGER!" OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" His face held a sneer of pure hatred when she flung the door open.

"What do you want, Ferret." She hissed viciously at him. _Really, of all the nights to bother me?_

"Every night for the last few weeks that damn noise has ANNOYED the FUCKING HELL out of me! What are you doing up here every night, mudblood?" He spat back at her. His blood boiled as he _really_ looked at her for the first time this year. She looked like the walking dead. Her entire body was covered in oversized black garments. Every inch of her was covered, except her neck and face. Her face looked wild with anger. _What was this damn woman up to?_ She had been screaming at him the entire time, which he had drowned out. _  
_

"….IF DAMNED MCGONAGALL HADN'T OF THOUGHT THIS THE BETTER GOOD FOR THE SCHOOL, YOU'D BE LOCKED UP IN AZKABAN WITH THE REST OF YOU FUCKING PUREBLOOD _ SUPREMACIST_ ASSHOL-" She was cut off as Draco pushed her up against the wall nearest the door. His hand tightened around her neck, lifting her off the ground. "You… EVER, talk to me like that again, and you'll regret crossing me, mudblood." His voice was calm, his eyes seemed empty.

She squirmed trying to grab at his hands to release her. She tried to scream, but his grip tightened.

"_Ju…just … like…you…..your…f…fa…father_…" She was able to whisper before being dropped to the ground. Her heart was pounding, she felt… she felt… Exhilarated. She sat on the floor, arms touching her neck. She watched her dorm mate knock over the roses on the coffee table, the vase shattering into the fireplace. He quickly took solace in his room.

A smile… a destroyed broken smile crossed her face. When she finally had the energy she picked herself off the ground walking back into her room, her hands on her beating heart.

AN/I know my stories tend to have short chapters, to which I'm incredibly sorry! I'll try to update often as a way to compensate! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm currently working on the next. PLEASE don't forget to Review. :) With love &Wine, ~Rainkira


	3. Chapter 3

Her neck was swollen shut from the bruising, decorated in black and blue the next morning. Casting one of the healing spells she had learned in battle in a near whisper, she felt her throat rather instantly become less swollen. She cleared her throat, her voice much more pronounced. Her neck still looked like pretty shades of blackberries, however.

She changed into her school robes quickly, not looking into the mirror again at her body. She knew how frail she felt, she didn't want to visually inspect it. With the aid from her spells, her hand had nearly completely healed. A scar still lingered across her knuckles but none would recognize it as fresh. Leaving her hands exposed was a near relief, her school uniform already hung off her body like drapes to cover everything else. Thankful that it was the mid-fall, she covered her neck with a loose Gryffindor scarf, concealing as much as she could with make-up for the parts that might peak out and expose themselves. Her hair, which had grown into an unruly mess behind her back was pulled into a bun tightly on the top of her head, loose curls dropping from all around.

Hermione closed her eyes thinking of the night before. She felt goosebumps all along her skin as she thought of her aggressor… She hadn't felt that _alive_ since before the war. How could someone she hates so much make her feel so… Exhilarated? She sighed. _It was just a fluke, _She kept trying to tell herself. She wouldn't dare admit that this was the first night she hadn't had nightmares.

The morning classes went in a bit of a blur as they normally did. Hermione had taken to sitting in the back of her classes, to which none had argued. She would answer questions and pass her exams with the highest marks, but she wasn't raising her hand every second either. She felt eyes of stone cold gray watch her occasionally, to which her skin would react with goosebumps again. She would turn to face him, meeting his evil smirk with a dark glare.

Once she finally made it to charms, she was exhausted. She would quickly rush to her next class out of concern of being cornered by her blonde haired stalker. She settled herself into the back corner of her class, thankful to of made it to her spot. She started pulling out of her books for the class when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped.

Neville looked at her smiling.

She hit him gently on the arm, "Don't you dare scare me like that!" He laughed full heartedly, giving her a chance to look at her once goofy looking friend. His smile had finally fit his face, his strong bone structure shining through. He had grown into one handsome man. He kept his hair unruly but neat, and drove most of the girls wild with his good looks and humor. He was charming, she gave him that. Most girls would be swooning by his attention.

"I'm sorry, Mione. I couldn't help myself." He said with a soft voice and gentle smile once he finally stopped laughing.

"Neville, what gives me the honor of your company today? Aren't all the beautiful ladies going to murder ME for speaking with you?" She smiled.

He chuckled and winked at her playfully. "You know they are all just jealous of you."

Now it was her turn to laugh. Neville's face lit up with happiness at the sight of his friend smiling. It had been a long while since he'd gotten that kind of reaction from her. "Oh, Neville." She hit him again in the arm, while he faked that it hurt.

While she continued idle talk with Neville, Draco had entered quietly on the other side of the room. He sat himself nearly directly opposite of her, watching her interact with that charming little shit. She felt his eyes again, not realizing he had entered the room. She froze; her senses of survival must not be at their peak. Was she getting to comfortable? Neville had been talking to her about his previous conquest and had wanted advice. She tuned him out, feeling her heart beat against her chest, his eyes still on her. Neville touched her arm again, making her jump.

"'Mione, what's going on? You're acting like your under _petrificus_." He looked genuinely concerned.

"I'm sorry, Neville. It's been hard the last while. I haven't felt well at all today." She lied through her teeth.

Before he could argue, the Professor began her lesson. For the rest of the afternoon she felt his eyes and did her best not to look up to face him.

She made her way to the main hall with Neville, who continued to suggest she go to the sick ward and see Madam Pomfrey. She continued to smile and decline gracefully, thanking herself that she was getting close to where Ginny sat at the table.

Ginevra had heard their coming and quickly moved her books for her friend. She smiled beautifully at Hermione, completely ecstatic to see her.

"Ello, Honey! How are we today?" She grabbed her friend into a hug before allowing her to sit.

"Doing better today actually." Hermione smiled getting comfortably seated before grabbing a few small sandwiches. Ginny's eyes widened as she watched her friend fill her plate with food. This was the first time she had ever seen her friend eat without protest or encouragement.

"Mione, why are you wearing that scarf in here? It must be at least seventy degrees in here!" Neville piped up while Hermione's face was stuffed. She chewed quickly, swallowing the last bit of her first sandwich.

"I've just been a bit cold today. You know how the fall can be. I've always been cold natured. I should have a walking space heater with me at all times." She laughed nervously.

"Space Heater?" Ginny had tilted her head in confusion.  
"OH! It's like a portable fireplace." She replied quickly.

Ginny sat there thinking about it for a moment while Hermione grabbed another piece of her food, biting down. Ginny was the only one who noticed her fidget nervously with her scarf. All that is, except Draco Malfoy.


End file.
